


Early Check-in

by aishahiwatari



Series: Flying High [2]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, And he does get aftercare, And terrible pick-up lines, Basically Jim doesn't realize what Gabriel is doing, But only between the two of them, Come Eating, Come Marking, Commercial Airline AU, D/s elements, Desk Sex, Dirty Talk, Exhibitionism, Gabriel is... Older, Hair Pulling, Held down during sex, James T. Kirk has daddy issues, Jim is 18, Leg Humping, M/M, Not Beta Read, Nothing damaging though, Oral Sex, PWP, Praise Kink, Prostate Massage, Questionable D/s practice, Rough Sex, Some deep throating, but he doesn't mind, safe sex, some pain kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-27 22:29:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15694626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aishahiwatari/pseuds/aishahiwatari
Summary: A Modern Day!AU. Jim Kirk wakes up after a night out on Gabriel Lorca's driveway. Then they have sex. Many times.That's it. That's the story.Technically a prequel to my Baggage Handling fic but stands alone as unrepentant porn.





	Early Check-in

**Author's Note:**

> This is about 2 short paragraphs away from being a Modern Day!AU PWP so while it is technically a prequel to my Baggage Handling McKirk fic in which Gabriel occasionally cameos, feel free to read it on its own.
> 
> I couldn’t quite explain the questionable D/s elements in the tags but basically Gabriel is Domming (and also sneakily Aftercaring) Jim who remains unaware throughout that either of those concepts exist.
> 
> This should be 3 chapters. Chapter 1 is unrepentant porn. Chapter 2 contains some of the back-story relating to how Jim became a pilot himself. And Chapter 3 is a missing scene from the main narrative of BH, where four years later Leonard finds out about the happenings of Chapter 1 and makes an effort to prove that he can do it all better. So… more unrepentant porn.

 

"Well, this is deeply unpleasant."

 

Oh, fuck. Jim's head was pounding and his mouth tasted like blood. His back was killing him, maybe something to do with the fact that he had woken up on concrete, curled around a selection of bags full of garbage.

 

Still felt better than living back in Iowa, though. Blearily, he blinked up at the man standing over him. He couldn’t make out any features, not exactly, with the light behind him, but it was clear he was not impressed.

 

"I'm sorry. Is this your garbage?"

 

"No. That's one of the reasons why this is unpleasant."

 

Definitely not impressed. Okay. Jim stretched, clicked his back, tested the flex of the joints in his arms and legs. Huh. Uninjured. Bonus.

 

"Well I'll just get out of your hair." He hauled himself to his feet, ineffectually dusting himself off. There was a very questionable stain across the shoulder of his formerly white tee. He wasn't exactly sure where he was, but if he stumbled around for long enough he was sure he'd find the main drag where his seedy motel was.

 

"You're not gonna clean up this mess?"

 

Oh. Yeah. Right.

 

"Where do you want it?" Standing, the light was good enough for him to see the man's arched eyebrow. And make out a few finely chiseled features. Huh. Jim bit his lip, let it slip slowly from between his teeth, purred, "I'll take it wherever you want."

 

That earned him  an incredulous laugh, which was step up from a slap to the face, although unfortunately not -yet- an acceptance of the offer.

 

"End of the drive."

 

Oh, so he was down the side of this guy's house. Bending in the best way to show off his ass, Jim grabbed a couple of bags which both immediately split open, dropping myriad rotting garbage everywhere.

 

"Garbage truck only comes once every two weeks, huh?" he asked, although he suspected he already knew the answer, from the smell and texture.

 

"I'll get you some more bags." The guy turned his back. Didn't see Jim as a threat, then. He could work with that.

 

"And some gloves, maybe? Just saying!" He called after -oh, that was a shapely ass for an older guy and Jim had so many daddy issues that even he couldn't believe it sometimes. He wondered if he could switch the porch light off and get a better look at this guy without anybody noticing. What the hell time was it? Was the light-headedness from being still drunk or hung-over?

 

Ooh, his phone was still in his pocket. So was his wallet. No cash, but his cards and ID. Sort of could have called that. His phone said it was 3am. Why the hell was hot driveway guy taking his trash out at three in the morning?

 

Speaking of- the guy had returned. He was wearing a pressed white shirt and slacks with nice shoes. Shit, Jim really hoped he wasn't a cop. He came bearing a roll of garbage bags. No gloves.

 

"You're kind of a dick, huh?" Jim muttered. Guy somehow managed to convey the sentiment of it taking one to know one with just a snort and a twist of his lips. Yeah, Jim could kind of see that. He got to work, not really thinking about his own ass any more as he put his bare hands into handfuls of soiled tissues. Fuck. He was going to catch TB for sure. Or worse.

 

And still, the guy stood and watched. Even dropped the thankfully sealed bag he had been carrying so Jim would pick it up, moving it the three feet to the left into the cart without breaking what he imagined was eye contact. He was feeling distinctly less sexy by the time he had finished. The entire left leg of his jeans was soaked and he didn't know what with or how it had happened.

 

"Well, nice to meet you." He raised a hand in a wave once he'd dragged the cart to the bottom of the drive, level with the neighbors'.

 

"You got somewhere to go?"

 

Ooh. An opening.

 

Jim turned, tilted his hips. "What if I don't?"

 

A long, low sigh. "Not gonna make this easy, are you?"

 

"What can I say? I prefer making things hard."

 

"You are something else. Come on. You can use my shower. I'll lend you some clothes."

 

Jim smirked, sauntered closer. Not too close. He smelled terrible. "I don't need you to take care of me. I could pretend, though, if you like?"

 

That earned him an expectant look so he took a deep breath, shook out the tension in his shoulders and slouched, looking as pathetic as was humanly possible. He licked his lips, peered at the guy from beneath long lashes. "I never knew my daddy."

 

"Don't drip on my carpet."

 

Guy turned and walked inside, Jim trailing after him with a shrug to himself. Hadn't been murdered yet. Would get a hot shower, a change of clothes and maybe a quick fuck in the guest bedroom while wifey was sleeping. Jim could absorb all those dirty little urges for a while and love it, too. No downside.

 

"So, you gonna tell me your name?" Jim asked, as he took in his surroundings. They'd come in through the back door into the kitchen. Nice enough, but sparse. Maybe no wife, then. Jim felt a twinge of fear but quashed it. What were the odds of collapsing in the yard of an actual murderer? "Or- is there something else you'd like me to call you?"

 

The guy handed him a beer out of the fridge and fuck yes, Jim was definitely going to get laid. That was going far above and beyond the good Samaritan thing.

 

"Gabriel."

 

Jim stopped with the bottle halfway to his mouth to laugh. "You're kidding, right?"

 

"What, I don't look angelic to you?"

 

"I don't see a halo." Jim took a sip of his drink, exposing his throat to the darkly witty, actually gorgeous predator he'd had the good fortune to encounter. "But I'd need to check more closely for horns."

 

Gabriel -okay, that was actually growing on him- rolled his eyes. Setting his beer on the kitchen table, Jim began to un-tuck his T-shirt, watched curious, bright eyes track the movement. Jim smirked. "You said you didn't want me dripping on your carpet. And I am filthy." He pulled his shirt over his head and, yeah, he looked good. Eighteen and muscular where it mattered, his chest taut and defined. "So where's this shower of yours?"

 

Gabriel's expression was hungry when he leaned back against the counter, took a swig of his own beer with steady hands. Nice. "Your pants look pretty wet too. And I am just- a real stickler about those carpets."

 

God help him, Jim liked him. He really hoped there would be action to back up the words, toed off his sneakers, peeled off his socks and dropped his hands to his belt buckle. Gabriel's eyes were fixed on him, so he took his time. Really made it count. Slipped the leather free, that gentle susurrus the only sound beyond their breathing and the faint hum of the refrigerator. He saw Gabriel swallow.

 

Jim popped the top button of his jeans. He had a thin trail of lightish hair from the navel down, and he just revealed where it thickened, the first hint of what was to come. He ran his fingers through that trail of hair, then popped the next button. It had to be starkly clear that he wasn't wearing underwear. He had narrow hips and the jeans were already hanging dangerously low. One more button and they dropped to pool at his feet.

 

He was a born showman, already a little hard under the scrutiny and with the anticipation. Rather than make any attempt to hide it, he raised his arms above his head and stretched with a groan.

 

"Up the stairs. Second door on the right."

 

Jim pointedly bent, took his phone and wallet from the pockets of his jeans and set them neatly on the table next to his beer. Then he strolled out. Gabriel watched him go but didn't follow. That was fine. Jim really did need that shower.

 

There were no pictures of family in the hallway. A couple of canvas prints, landscapes and the like. The décor was overwhelmingly generic, uncluttered. Clean. Like a show home. Maybe Gabriel was a real estate agent sent to check out the signs of disturbance Jim had undoubtedly left in his wake. How had he got there?

 

He found the bathroom easily enough, started the shower and rifled vaguely through the cupboards, more curious than anything. There wasn't much there. A few spare bottles of soap and shampoo, all typically masculine brands of vibrantly colored liquid. Some over the counter meds. Painkillers, antihistamines. Ooh, spare toothbrushes. A lot of hotel- no, airline toiletries Gabriel had clearly been hoarding. Jim swiped a toothbrush and used an entire tiny tube of toothpaste, already felt a little more human.

 

The shower was lovely. A walk-in, tiled with black marble, much more pleasant than the coughing, wheezing pipes at his motel. He groaned unreservedly at the pressure of the water against his back, hot and perfect. Maybe Gabriel could do with a roommate. There were plenty of services Jim would be willing to provide in exchange for the use of that shower.

 

Jim scrubbed himself down efficiently, only paying a little more than the necessary attention to his quietly interested cock, unwilling to completely subside. And, of course, he pressed a couple of fingers inside of himself, uncomfortably tight but making his blood boil with the promise of what might be to come .He did enough to clean himself without stretching too much. Either Gabriel would do it or he wouldn't. Either way, Jim was not going to complain.

 

When he was done, he wrapped a fluffy towel around his waist after vaguely rubbing at his hair with it then combing the resultant mess out of his eyes with his fingers.

 

Gabriel wasn't in the hallway. Rather than find him, Jim went exploring. He found the guest bedroom or, judging by the depersonalized nature of the rest of the house, maybe Gabriel's room, generic blue sheets and a chest of drawers with nothing on it. He didn't look inside; he was curious, not an animal.

 

Then a study, mahogany bookshelves lining the walls and a huge, antique desk in the middle of the room. Jim approached it and trailed a finger along the ornate pattern that adorned the edges. There was a computer and also papers that Jim ignored beyond noticing they weren't plans to murder teenagers, written in blood. He sank into the big, black leather chair, spinning on it idly, taking in the rest of the room. Why make a space so imposing in one's own home?

 

He tried the drawers, looking for something, found it on the third try and congratulated himself on his instincts. A Mont Blanc fountain pen. Platinum plated. The weight of it felt good as he twirled it slowly between his fingers. Feeling a little guilty -because a fountain pen would mould itself to a writer's hand and he shouldn't interfere with that- he rummaged for a scrap of paper and scrawled on it as gently as he could.

 

Green ink. Wow. Jim didn't really know what to think about a man who wrote for pleasure. He capped the pen carefully -ink was a bitch to get off and he was just clean- and set it down gently in the drawer before sliding it closed.

 

The shadow in the doorway almost made him jump before he realized what he was seeing and just convinced himself to be grateful for it. Gabriel leaned on the door frame, arms loosely folded in front of him, spoiling the view, quite frankly, because he'd unbuttoned his shirt and it hung loosely at his sides. His chest was toned, rangy with age but defined. A man who took care of himself. Jim's mouth watered.

 

He made no excuses for his snooping, just slipped out of the chair and to his feet before crossing the room.

 

He had hoped that he would reach Gabriel and be allowed to touch, was just itching to run his hands over that strong, lean chest.

 

Instead, he was met halfway. Gabriel's strides were long and confident and it made Jim's skin tingle with anticipation in the few seconds he had before they collided and God, he'd hoped they'd kiss but hadn’t imagined the violent clash with which it began. They slammed together, Gabriel's hands finding each side of his jaw and holding, pressing his thumbs into Jim's cheeks to urge his mouth open so he could devour him. And Jim could have fought, but he chose not to, struggled only with his real objection to Gabriel's excessive clothing.

 

He couldn't get the shirt off with Gabriel wrapped around him, but he could fumble blindly at the belt and buckle with most of his focus on the tongue in his mouth, sliding slickly against his. It was all-consuming. He felt like there wasn't enough oxygen in the room.

 

That was possibly why he hadn't noticed they were moving until his back hit the edge of the desk. He couldn’t go any further then, but Gabriel took another step anyway, insinuating his -fuck, still clothed- thigh between Jim's and pressing upwards. At first Jim groaned, the pressure against his steadily hardening cock just the right side of too much, his hips twitching with the desire to grind shamelessly against whatever was offered. It made Gabriel's lips twitch into a smile. Jim whimpered when he relinquished Jim's mouth to clench a fist in Jim's hair and tug, exposing his throat.

 

Teeth sunk in a shallow arc next to his jugular and Jim's whole body shuddered, torn between the instinct to protect himself from the danger and encourage more. There was tongue, and more blunt teeth, the rasp of stubble that made him gasp, still shifting his hips the little distance he was allowed against the strong, muscular thigh clamped between his own.

 

"God, you'd hump my leg until you came all over yourself, wouldn't you?"

 

Holy shit, that voice in his ear, the sentiments that made his cock twitch, leaking pre-come at the thought. He had no idea if he was supposed to answer, too caught up in climbing sensation. Certainly that hadn't been a complaint, so he had no reason to stop. Gabriel's free hand, the one not causing a thousand tiny pinpricks of pain to shoot from his scalp down his spine, pulled at his towel until he was naked and exposed, pinned and shamelessly vulnerable.

 

"Go on, then," Gabriel murmured, leaning back to look at him, all the way down from the mess of his hair, darkened glazed eyes and reddened lips to his cock, hard and leaking onto the scratchy fabric of Gabriel's pants, "I want to see how much of a filthy, eager slut you are, desperate to fuck guys twice your age. Would you have gone home with anyone who found you on their driveway?"

 

"Only-" Jim ground down, hopelessly turned on but unable to get as much friction as he wanted with their position- "If they were outrageously hot with a dirty mouth and a kink for fucking eighteen year old boys on their desk."

 

"Well, I wouldn't call it a kink." Gabriel grabbed Jim's ass and squeezed, pushing him up his thigh until the sensitive head of his cock bumped gratefully against the skin of his stomach, soft but stretched over the tautness of his abdominals. "But you do make it very difficult to say no." His eyes were fixed on the growing bead of pearly liquid at the slit of Jim's cock, and he licked his lips. Whether a conscious reaction or not, it made Jim shiver.

 

One arm at a time, he wrapped them around Gabriel's shoulders and leaned closer. "Then kiss me again, and I'll hump your leg like a dog."

 

It probably should have made him feel dirty. But Gabriel was hard, too, big dick tenting the front of his pants and when he laid claim to Jim's mouth again, it was with a heartfelt groan. It was difficult to think straight, with a hot mouth sealed over his, but that was sort of the point. Jim shifted experimentally a couple of times to find the right motion, the one that had him smearing pre-come across warm skin with every roll of his hips, and let his body work towards what it needed without consideration for composure or shame. Gabriel squeezed his ass in time with his increasingly frantic rhythm, urging him on and closer until Jim tensed and whimpered and shuddered, coming hard over Gabriel's stomach in pulses that left him lax and light-headed.

 

"Good boy," Gabriel murmured in his ear, Jim's body not quite up to the task of keeping up with the force of those kisses and sagging as he panted, trying to get his breath back. He went to lean his head on Gabriel's shoulder and was held back with a fist clenched in his hair and a deep, rumbling command. "On your knees."

 

A closer proximity to the floor did sound like a good idea, so Jim allowed himself to be guided. His knees hit the floor but he wasn't allowed to sit on his heels, that hand in his hair keeping him upright. At a very convenient level, Jim was beginning to realize with his brain coming back online.

 

"Lick up your mess."

 

The command startled Jim into awareness and he looked up to see Gabriel’s expression expectant and free of judgment. His come was beginning to drip in rivulets down the toned muscle of Gabriel’s stomach, and it was the thought of having his tongue on that skin that made his mouth water. He leaned in to do as he was told, let out a small, involuntary noise when his head was yanked back and looked up, unsure of what he had done wrong. But Gabriel just gave him a satisfied smile, was enjoying teasing him, having him so desperate and on-edge. 

 

Jim could get on board with that. He bit his lip, let it slip from between his teeth. “Please?”

 

Gabriel petted his hair, and although Jim leaned in more cautiously than before, he was finally allowed to close the distance. He started from the bottom of a long trail and licked upwards, humming his enjoyment as he felt the ridges of muscle all the way up to the bottom ribs. He let his eyes meet Gabriel’s before he pointedly swallowed, was rewarded with a thumb tracing along his bottom lip. Slowly, since he was relaxed and sated, finding his pleasure again, he lapped up every trace of his come from Gabriel’s skin and kissed the damp patch he had left, learning the lines and curves.

 

With a questioning glance, he reached for Gabriel’s belt again and wasn’t stopped from touching it, or from unbuttoning and unzipping his pants. Already he could smell the heady musk of arousal, feel the heat of his hardness and his own cock twitched gamely, trying to fill in anticipation. With his fingers at the waistband of tight black boxer briefs, through which the hard shape of Gabriel’s cock was clearly visible, Jim looked up with a request for permission in his eyes. He wasn’t going to beg if he didn’t have to.

 

Thankfully, Gabriel was feeling benevolent. “Go on,” he said, running fingers through Jim’s hair, scratching his scalp. And Jim did.

 

God, that was a nice cock, thick and hard and straight, just beginning to leak. The reminder of Gabriel’s superior control made Jim shiver and he leaned in to rub his cheek against the silken, hot skin, hard as steel but bobbing with the pressure. Gabriel hissed at the scrape of Jim’s stubble but didn’t pull away, apparently no stranger to pain himself. Jim let out a pitiful little sigh, hated the world and all its rules in that moment. He wanted that hard cock in his mouth, pressing against then sliding past his palate, real and natural. But he was young and reckless, not stupid.

 

“Got a condom?” He asked, to a brief flash of surprise and a significant glance down at the pants Gabriel was obligingly stepping out of. With a cautious eye on him, because he knew some guys got really funny about safe oral sex, Jim rummaged and found his prize. Or prizes, one thin and as close to natural as was safe, the other sturdier. He met Gabriel’s eyes and breathed, “God, you’re perfect,” as he battled with packaging.

 

That earned him an expression of acute alarm, but he was too busy feeling grateful and planning how to show it to care. He rolled the thinner condom onto Gabriel’s lovely cock with minimal fumbling and took him in his mouth. The more subtle caresses wouldn’t work, he knew, so after a few experimental bobs of his head to test himself and relax his jaw, he just pulled all the way off, met Gabriel’s gaze and held as he sank down, and down, savoring the stretch of his throat and not stopping until his nose met a well-trimmed thatch of hair and his eyes fluttered shut.

 

“Holy fucking Christ, that’s good.” It was the first time he’d heard any unsteadiness in Gabriel’s voice. Jim hummed his agreement, making him gasp, then swallowed. Gabriel let out a long, low moan. “I would love to come down your throat right now. But -oh, fuck, yes- I have plans that involve fucking you over the desk. So ease off.”

 

Jim shrugged as best he could, and swallowed again just to see what sort of noise he could drag from Gabriel’s throat -a muted grunt, as it turned out- and slowly drew off, licking his lips clean with a smirk. “Can’t go again, old man?” He asked, voice already a little hoarse.

 

“You’re seriously sassing me while you’re on your knees at my feet?”

 

Jim grinned, unrepentant. “I can think of a good way to shut me up.” He pushed his head into the hand Gabriel had loosely tangled in his hair and opened his mouth.

 

For a moment, Gabriel just stared. “Did someone make you to my specifications?”

 

“Why, have you been thinking about fucking my throat?”

 

Gabriel didn’t answer with words, instead took hold of Jim’s hair with both hands and guided him closer. Jim had expected to be yanked, quite frankly, but he had a moment to swallow before he opened his mouth again and Gabriel’s cock pressed back into him. God, he loved that sensation of being penetrated, the bumps and ridges of a fat, heavy cock against his lips. He relaxed his throat, appreciating Gabriel’s slower thrusts easing in a little further each time until he was buried deep. Jim sighed contentedly through his nose, let his body accept the intrusion, focusing only on the sensations, the rising pool of arousal gathering in his belly once more.

 

Everything about the whole situation felt so good he could only blink dazedly and whimper his objection when Gabriel pulled out just to stand there, chest heaving, just staring down at him for a moment. He was still wearing the shirt, draped artfully over his shoulders, but it accentuated and framed the wonder that was his chest, leading down to the trail of dark hair and then to his cock, lovely even through the wet, translucent wrapping. His hands were still in Jim’s hair, tugging gently, making Jim want to purr and lean into the contact. He gave his best pleased rumble anyway, looked up from beneath his lashes and bit his lip when it made Gabriel’s cock twitch.

 

“Stand up.” Gabriel’s voice was hoarse but sure, and Jim did as he was told, not quite elegantly. “Turn around and bend over the desk.”

 

Without hesitation, Jim did that too, adjusting his position so that his burgeoning erection wasn’t crushed against solid mahogany. With the press of a foot at the inside of his ankle, he was urged to widen his stance, maybe let out a vulnerable little sound at the first hint of cool air at the newly exposed crease of his ass.

 

“Ready to go, gorgeous boy?”

 

Jim was surprised by the question more than the soft caress of a hand against the loose hang of his balls, had expected more of being treated like a dog. Suddenly he was more of an object of affection, and the compliment was pretty nice too, actually. Made him feel a little better about having his legs spread wide enough to expose some very vulnerable parts of his body.

 

He shifted, planning to look back over his shoulder but Gabriel’s hand was on the back of his neck in an instant, holding him down. Jim let out a pathetic little whine, not so much from the sensation itself as much as the rush of blood to his rapidly hardening cock, knew Gabriel felt it with his other hand still so close.

 

“Oh, you like that.” The triumph in Gabriel’s tone made Jim’s hips twitch, which of course only compounded the situation. The grip on his neck tightened, making him squirm involuntarily. The covetous touches to the top of his thighs delved deeper, fingers probing experimentally at his hole, tight and dry. “Want me to fuck you while I hold you down, make you take it?”

 

Jim pushed his ass back and into that contact as best he could despite the impossibility of further progress without sufficient lubricant. “Yes, please, I want that- wait, should I be saying no? Was that a hint?”

 

“No, you’re just perfect, willing as you are. Just don’t stop making those lovely little noises.” Those fingers left Jim’s ass, only to return moments later coated in cool slick. Jim realized Gabriel had stashed it in the pocket of that damn shirt and his breathless laughter melted into a heartfelt, high-pitched whine as his hole was explored, surprisingly gentle pressure against the tight ring of muscle, testing the resistance. “Tight as a fucking virgin. God, tell me you’ve never done this before.”

 

Smiling to himself, Jim just did as he was told. He had always been an excellent liar, given enough motivation. “I- never. You’re the first. Just- my fingers, thinking about- oh.” Jim whimpered as the first finger slid into him. “Pretty much just thinking about this. Just wanted a super hot man with- God, amazing fingers to open me up and fuck me hard. Hadn’t specifically thought about the desk but I love that, it’s a great touch.”

 

“Is that not why you were in here?”

 

Two fingers. Jim keened, torn between the desire for more and less, the burn of the stretch warring with the emptiness, the desire to be filled with that gorgeous cock. No prizes for guessing which won there. Wait, they were having a conversation, where were his manners?

 

“I was just being nosy but it worked out pretty well, don’t you think?”

 

“I think I preferred your mouth when you were choking on my cock.”

 

Jim inhaled to object vociferously to the suggestion that he had been choking; he had been perfectly smooth and heard no complaints. It was the same moment Gabriel shoved three fingers into him and instead he wailed, just barely keeping from sobbing at the intense strain, not painful but overwhelming, nothing else at the front of his mind in that moment.

 

“Oh, God, yes, don’t stop,” he panted and, fuck, Gabriel took him at his word, delving deeper, twisting so that the strongest pressure felt like it was everywhere, consuming him.

 

“So damn shameless.” Gabriel sounded awed, though, so Jim just let it wash over him as he squirmed in the still-firm hold on his neck. He could have set his palms flat on the surface of the desk and levered himself up to get away, didn’t doubt Gabriel would let him. He focused on dragging air into his lungs and on the second heaving breath received a soft slap to his face.

 

“Still with me?” Gabriel asked. The hand that had been on Jim’s neck had been the same as the one used to slap him, was then the same one with which Gabriel was fighting with the wrapper of the second condom, tearing it open with his teeth. Jim got his hands beneath him, just for a moment, to take the pressure off his chest, gasped at it changed the angle of the fingers still inside him, allowed him to press back and take them deeper while Gabriel spoke. “Asked you a question. We’re pushing some boundaries here, I need to hear the words.”

 

“I’m really, really good.” Jim arched his back, satisfied, the care and attention foreign but appreciated. He was surprised to feel the kisses trailed up his spine, couldn’t help shivering and melting after initially tensing in surprise, knew the slide of fingers into him was getting easier. He wanted more. “Please fuck me, Gabriel.”

 

“God, I want to bottle that sound.” Still implausibly gentle, Gabriel pulled his fingers out, used them to guide his cock to Jim’s hole and then slid inside, long and slow. 

 

Jim gritted his teeth against the urge to scream until his ass was pinched hard in warning and he gasped, then groaned. “You are so fucking cruel.”

 

Gabriel leaned in as he bottomed out, plastered his chest along Jim’s back to murmur in his ear. “Not every day I get a gorgeous boy like you on my cock. I’m just making the most of it.” He gripped Jim’s hips, guided him as he withdrew, straightened then pushed back in, watching every moment of his cock disappearing inside of Jim. The new angle made it slide right across Jim’s prostate, made his legs shake with the pleasure sparking through him. His arms taking most of his weight, elbows on the desk, Jim pushed back into the next thrust and made them both groan with the force of it.

 

It didn’t take long to set up a punishing rhythm. Jim’s world became that back and forth to the sound of the gasping moans forced from his throat. He could have hammed it up with the noises, for a change didn’t feel like he needed to bother, since Gabriel clearly saw that as a challenge rather than an insult. Jim really had chosen his partner well, consciously or not.

 

Through it all, the desk didn’t shift. While it was taking Jim’s weight, he was being pulled back to meet each forward motion, absorbing the impact himself. His elbows would maybe be bruised from the hard surface, the effort of attempting to push back, too, to feel the reverberations all the way up his spine. He wanted more, faster and harder, to be closer.

 

“Oh, fucking Christ, yes,” he was vaguely aware of himself gasping.

 

“Thought you’d like that.” Gabriel’s smile could be heard in his tone, not that it could have been called a stretch of the imagination to have deduced Jim would have appreciated a lube-slick hand wrapping around his cock. He whined as he was caught between the two points of sensation, being enveloped and penetrated both, shooting stars building, couldn’t decide whether he needed it to be over or go on forever although he was swiftly approaching the point where it would no longer be a choice, between Gabriel’s skilled hands and thick cock that was apparently a homing missile because, fuck, either the man was some sort of master or Jim had been doing it wrong all this time.

 

Coming felt like a moment of free fall before hitting the ground and Jim had no idea how to describe the sound he made but he hoped Gabriel didn’t have neighbors who were light sleepers. Gabriel didn’t even slow, forced every last instant of that bone-deep orgasm from within him and kept going. Jim’s arms were shaking with effort, but he did his best to push back, to clench down even though he was oversensitive and whimpering from the continued brutality. It was so much he almost felt like he couldn’t do it.

 

Almost.

 

He felt a mingled relief and pride when Gabriel shoved deeper, somehow, his grip tightening on Jim’s hips as he groaned, long, low and heartfelt, working his hips to ride out the tension in his muscles and the pulsing of his cock. Jim arched to bring those final, soft motions against his prostate, a gentle, warming pleasure that allowed him to drift slowly back into reality rather than being suddenly dropped. It was nice, for a change, to be able to savor the moment. He hadn’t realized how much of a difference it would make.

 

Gabriel’s softening cock slipped free but he set hands on Jim’s shoulder and hip to remind him to stay where he was before he stripped off the condom, tied it off and threw it into the waste bin. He pressed into the crease of Jim’s ass with his thumbs, pulling his cheeks apart. Admiring his work. When gentle fingers stroked the inside of the sensitive, smooth ring of muscle, Jim lacked the energy to do any more than sigh, contented, and clench weakly.

 

“You made a mess of my desk.”

 

Jim’s traitorous cock twitched at the thought of running his tongue over the solid, smooth wood, and the muscles of his ass must have, too, because Gabriel made a small approving noise that just triggered it all again.

 

“Better get on your knees, then.”

 

Jim stretched his arms out in front of him, still bent over the desk, flexing his back with a groan, then looked over his shoulder to smirk. “Make me.”

 

A hand in his hair, pain but not too much, too quick for him to dwell on but enough to pick up his heart rate again as he was pulled back, then pushed down. He folded to his knees, saw the creamy rivulets running down the flat surface of the dark wood and caught one on his tongue before Gabriel even said a word.

 

“Such a good boy for me.”

 

Jim reveled in the words, the sensation of cool, smooth solidity, the taste of salt and something sort of- peppery? It took him a moment to place it, amidst sparks of memory that brought salad dressing to mind, and he finished his task before he was sure.

 

“You polish your desk with olive oil?” He asked with a quirk of his brow and a lick of his lips to prove he was finished, met the darkened eyes that lingered on him with intent.

 

“Lucky for you. Synthetic furniture polish is highly toxic.” Gabriel’s voice was low but steady and he hauled Jim to his feet, keeping him upright when he staggered and brushing his bottom lip with a thumb. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”

 

He led the way into the bathroom, shrugging off the shirt as he did so and tossing it aside. Jim nearly walked into the wall, he was so distracted by the rippling muscle in his back, the taut lines of his ass and thighs. Was it weird Jim wanted to just push him down and massage him? He could use that damn olive oil and lick him clean afterwards. He’d love to watch his come trickle down the angles of shoulder blades, the inside of strong thighs.

 

Gabriel thrust one of those disposable toothbrushes at him, loaded with toothpaste, then stepped into the shower. For a moment, it was all Jim could do to stare open-mouthed without dropping what he held, the drops of water cascading down that lean frame taking his breath away. He couldn’t believe he’d been allowed to touch, to have his lips and tongue on that skin.

 

There was nothing of the overcompensating cockiness Jim so often encountered in men his own age. None of the poorly-repressed insecurity, the clumsy attempts to impress him. Just real, sexy confidence and for a moment Jim almost had a crisis and wondered what Gabriel saw in him.

 

“You travel a lot for work?” He asked, holding up the branded toothbrush as an explanation when Gabriel paused in shampooing his hair to eye him curiously.

 

“I work for the airline.”

 

Jim pondered that for a moment. “Somehow I don’t see you in customer service.”

 

“That’s why there’s a locked door between me and the passengers.”

 

“You’re away from home a lot.” A lot fell into place with that thought, the general feeling of the house especially. The lack of any long-term partner for another. Jim shoved the toothbrush in his mouth before he could say anything more on the topic.

 

“Where do you think I took those pictures in the hallway?”

 

What? Jim had thought they were generic prints. Toothbrush in mouth, he dashed off to investigate.

 

“Hey! Get back here-“

 

Oh, no. They were as far from generic as it was possible to get. Jim was such an amateur. The sunset over the desert was alight with life, vivid and blazing. Rain fell on a small village in Europe, the ripples in the puddles in focus while people hurried by, blurs under umbrellas, everything grey but nothing dull. A shark swam beneath the surface of an ocean as smooth as glass, coiled power just feet from the edge of a surfboard. A gorgeous, olive-skinned, ebony-haired woman sat two tables away, sipping coffee in the flattering light of sunrise. A stranger, although maybe she hadn’t stayed that way after the picture was taken. Rainforest, an immeasurable basin full of life, everything a deep, vivid green, never the same shade twice. Jim wanted to lean over the handrail to get closer, to find more detail.

 

“You were so obedient when you were kneeling, what happened?” Came the rueful murmur in his ear, a hot, damp body pressed up against his back. Thankfully, since Jim still had a mouthful of toothpaste, Gabriel didn’t seem to expect an actual answer.

 

Instead of speaking, Jim gestured emphatically to the photos, still staring at the ones he’d initially missed.

 

“We get a few days, usually, to spend at our destinations. No point wasting it.”

 

Jim had so many questions and no way to ask them, and strong arms wrapped tightly around his waist, holding him there while deft fingers traced the outline of his abs and drifted down to his hips. He whined plaintively, was rewarded with kisses and soft bites to the side of his throat.

 

“Come back to the bathroom. Get clean. And then if you want, I’ll show you the bedroom.”

 

Jim twisted out of the hold, grabbed Gabriel’s wrist and dragged him back to the bathroom where he could finally spit the damn toothpaste into the sink. He released Gabriel to cup water in his hand and rinse his mouth free of the burning sensation, went to turn to the shower and was manhandled into a dirty, pleasantly-scented kiss. The ceramic edge of the sink dug into Jim’s back, a reminder of the last solid object he’d been pinned against, and he responded with enough of a clear head to avoid submitting completely to the man who seemed to want to own him.

 

“Can I keep you?” Gabriel asked once he’d allowed him to step under the running water, eyeing him covetously as he luxuriated in the spray, vaguely soaping at the sweat that had gathered on his skin.

 

“But who would feed me and bathe me and pet me while you were away on all those trips?” Jim was sure it had been a joke. Reasonably sure he wanted it to be. He stretched with a purr. “Why did we not do this together again?”

 

“Because you went haring off to snoop through my stuff.”

 

“Uhh, to admire your hidden photography talents you mean. And it looks like you’ve been everywhere.”

 

Gabriel made a soft, amused sound at that, “There are fourteen pictures on that wall. More countries than that in Europe alone.”

 

“I notice you didn’t try and argue you’re not talented.”

 

“Well, we don't have all day.”

 

That smile should not have been nearly that sexy. Jim shut off the water and just let himself breathe for a moment. He felt good. A little sore but generally safe and relaxed and beginning to consider the possibility of another round with the immodest, intelligent man he’d found himself entangled with.

 

“You said something about showing me the bedroom?”

 

 

 

 

Receiving a blowjob through a condom, even a thin one, was not to be compared to the real thing but since Jim made a habit of being safe, he was more than appreciative of the effort. The view wasn’t bad, either, once he ignored the lurid pink color of his own cock to focus on the stretch of Gabriel’s lips around it, the vibrations of his intentional low humming, the tight, unrelenting pressure of his throat. God, he was good, and he preened smugly when Jim told him so but seemed to redouble his efforts all the same as though he were determined to suck Jim’s soul out through his cock.

 

Jim sobbed his release, exhausted and oversensitive, let Gabriel give him a once-over with a wet wipe and snuggled into the blankets of the bed with a significant, suggestive look in the direction of Gabriel’s own half-hard length.

 

“Not as young as you, gorgeous. Now I’m going to sleep until it’s at least light outside, feel free to stick around if you plan on making that offer again.”

 

Considering Jim couldn’t have managed to get more than a couple of hours sleep on Gabriel’s driveway, he was all too happy to accept that. He drifted off without much more than a thought, determined to be up in a couple of hours to make good on his promise.

 

 

 

 

He woke up with the midday sun shining in his eyes, stomach growling, head pounding, and alone in the bed. When he sat upright, stretching, he was blissfully sore in all the right places, cock already half-hard in anticipation of more. He trailed his fingers over it, just building up a little more before he realized something important.

 

His clothes were still in the kitchen and going through Gabriel’s bedroom drawers was too intimate, even for him, so he padded, naked, into the hallway, following his nose in the direction of food.

 

“I wasn’t serious about you feeding me,” he said, only vaguely distracted by the long gorgeous line of Gabriel’s spine leading down into low-hanging flannel pants, flexing as he worked over the stove.

 

“You’ll need your strength up for what I have planned for you. Any allergies?”

 

“Nothing you’re likely to feed me.” Jim shrugged off Gabriel’s curious glance over his shoulder. “Bee stings, penicillin.”

 

“Yeah, all out of those.”

 

If Gabriel noticed Jim shifting a little uncomfortably, he pretended not to, just shoved a plate bearing an omelet on the dining table and gestured at it. Jim had no idea where his pants were, debated with himself for a moment whether he cared enough to ask, then sat down. The wooden seat of the chair was cold on his bare ass, but the pleased smile he earned made it all worth it. He was also given a glass of some sort of creamy fruit smoothie and, after a brief assessing glance, a large glass of water he downed gratefully.

 

“It’s almost like you’ve done this before,” he commented before digging enthusiastically into his food. It had been a long time since he had eaten anything that could genuinely have been called home-cooked.

 

“I have never done this before. Well-“ Gabriel considered his words as he sat next to Jim with a plate of his own, “I’ve had- casual sex. I’ve never found anybody passed out on my driveway and before this morning I would never have considered inviting someone in if I did. And the rest- I usually kick them out long before lunch. But I’m still sort of on Tokyo time, so it doesn’t really count.”

 

“Aw, I thought I was just special.” Jim took a sip of his smoothie. “Wow, did you make this?”

 

“Made, as in, put fruit in a blender with yoghurt, yeah. And special is not the word I would use.” Gabriel’s gaze turned heated. “You are- a dream. Hopelessly gorgeous, reluctantly submissive, beautifully unrestrained. And I meant what I said. If I’d filled out a sheet requesting someone to have waiting for me when I got home, I couldn’t have got anyone more perfect than you.”

 

Jim hid his pleased flush behind a smirk. “At first I was just glad you weren’t a serial killer. But all of this has been- exactly what I was looking for.”

 

“Well, then don’t go referring to it in the past tense just yet.”

 

“If I stay long enough will I get dinner too?”

 

“I’ll let you kneel at my feet and lick dessert off my fingers.”

 

Jim’s cock got rock hard so fast he felt light-headed. Everyday was a school day. He’d never even considered that sort of thing might be a kink for him. Suddenly he didn’t think he was going to be able to stop thinking about it.

 

“See? There you go again. Now eat up, because you’re not getting out of my bed again until dinner.”

 

And what could Jim do then, but exactly what he was told?

 

 

 

 

“I think-“ Gabriel mused later, mostly to himself, since Jim was senseless with need, ass in the air, his weight on his shoulders with Gabriel’s deft fingers buried deep inside of him, “that you could come just from this, without either of us touching your cock at all. What do you think?”

 

Jim panted and writhed and pressed back, unable to find the words right away, too busy contemplating the continuing impossible torture he was letting himself in for if he said yes. But Gabriel didn’t like his silence, he remembered when those fingers began to withdraw. “No! Don’t- I mean- fuck! I’ve never done it before.”

 

“You’ve never been with me before.”

 

“I think- maybe I could. I’ve been close.” Jim sighed in relief. At the steady flow of words, his ass was being stretched out again, fingers seeking the place inside him that made him squirm and keen. “I- maybe- God.”

 

“Keep going. Just answer the question.”

 

Even Jim’s usually strongly-suppressed shame flared up a little at the thought of that admission, though, all the words leaving him in a hurried mess. “I think I could if you let me ride your cock.”

 

Gabriel leaned over him, even though it must have been uncomfortable, to kiss his neck, murmur in his ear. “Good boy.” And Jim shuddered violently. “I want you just like this.”

 

It made no sense at first, but then Jim was being guided by sure, steady hands, pulled back up onto his knees, although they were spread wide around Gabriel’s and he was all but sitting on Gabriel’s thighs. Having that taut chest against his back was nice, the kisses down the side of his neck more so, and he flexed, moving against the pleasant sensations as much as he could. Gabriel’s full attention wasn’t on him, he was shifting and Jim heard the crinkling of foil before, slowly -so much easier than with anybody else- those fingers withdrew. He still keened at the loss, pressing down, seeking more, the hard muscles of Gabriel’s thighs in the way.

 

“Almost there, sit up a little. Yeah, that’s it.” Gabriel shuffled forwards while holding Jim’s hips still, forcing his legs still wider, so fucking exposed. Jim couldn’t even imagine what he had to look like. He felt a familiar hot, blunt pressure against his hole. “Down again, now. Slow as you need.”

 

Jim’s mouth fell open in a silent scream as he obediently sank down, split apart and held together by the deep, visceral press in. Gabriel kept him from floating away, pressing fingertips into his waist, the warmth of him comforting and arousing all at once against Jim’s back, solid and undeniable. One of Gabriel’s hands came up to encircle his throat just loosely, tilting his jaw so his head tipped back onto a strong shoulder, kisses trailed down his neck.

 

“So good. Can’t believe how well you take me. Like you were made to have my cock inside you.”

 

Jim panted, the long, slow drag of sinking down seemingly endless. His legs were beginning to shake with the effort of holding himself up, but for all the girth inside of him there was no pain, his muscles thoroughly stretched and relaxed. He felt loose, not just there but in every part of his body, ready for Gabriel to use as he wanted.

 

The way he instinctively clenched at that thought made his cock jerk and Gabriel hiss through a tiny, aborted thrust of his hips that drove him even deeper inside of Jim. So, of course, he did it again, warming at the low moan in his ear.

 

“Tease. That what you want? Me fucking into you as you just sink down and take it? You’re so close to having all of me, just let go. It’s going to feel so good, I promise.”

 

With a long sigh of relief, Jim did, let himself relax. He couldn’t find any voice inside himself, just breathed deep and heavy, so full and satisfied. It was nothing like it had been earlier, quick and brutal, desperately seeking release. When Gabriel shifted, adjusting the position of his hips to bring his cock against Jim’s prostate, he gasped at the spiraling pleasure that sparked through him. He wanted that again.

 

“Right there, huh?” Gabriel repeated the motion, made Jim’s breath hitch and his own pelvis instinctively shift, seeking more. “That’s it. Just grind down on me. Get my cock where you want it. You’re so fucking beautiful.”

 

Jim let out a muted cry and twitched his hips back, seeking more. It was so good, all of it, and he never wanted it to end, his motions almost lazy as he sought the pressure and the pleasure with no more aim in mind. Gabriel flattened a hand over Jim’s stomach, against the flex of muscles there, guiding him with soft touches into a rhythm. Jim’s own cock was painfully hard, just bouncing against his abs with every thrust, so close to the reach of Gabriel’s fingers. He knew he was leaking, could feel the cool air and the strange almost-pulses, could only shudder with knowing when the trail dripped down as far as his balls. And still, Gabriel didn’t touch him there, even to wipe him clean.

 

His own fingers twitched, then, and he dug them into what he could reach of Gabriel’s thighs until strong hands wrapped around his wrists.

 

“No touching.”

 

Jim whimpered. He had been thinking about it, but he wouldn’t, he wouldn’t- “You told me not to.”

 

The cock within him thrust momentarily, impossibly deeper and Gabriel sighed against his neck. “Such a good boy. Wish you could see what you look like, wrecked and desperate, all for me.”

 

That voice ratcheted Jim’s arousal higher, and he shivered, hips moving faster as the chased it, only the trembling didn’t stop. His thighs burned with the effort and it took a moment to realize the desperate little sounds in time with his breaths were coming from him. He didn’t have the energy to swallow them down, couldn’t spare the conscious thought as Gabriel began to shift a little, too, driving deeper where Jim was circling his hips so his cock drove through as well as around his prostate in an erratic, unpredictable pattern. Jim was so fucking close, could feel the beginnings of tension in his limbs as he strained for it, had no idea how long he could keep going for, whether it would be enough, let out a distant sob of frustration at the thought.

 

“Shh, gorgeous thing. I won’t let you go without. I promise we’ll get you there. Relax and just feel.” Gabriel released his wrists, encouraging Jim’s hands to the sides of his thighs while he smoothed warm palms over Jim’s sweat-slick skin, soothingly steady. It was okay. He felt good, and it wouldn’t suddenly be torn away for him to start from the bottom if he wasn’t fast enough, and he found a motion that wasn’t quite as satisfying but it gave his thighs a much-needed break and still Gabriel’s cock stroked relentlessly over his prostate, building him impossibly higher until he didn’t understand how he could possibly not be coming, strung tight and gasping.

 

Gabriel’s hand was on his thigh, the other sliding across his stomach beneath his cock so it just brushed the back of his fingers with every stronger thrust. Then he applied pressure, in and down so everything inside of him shifted and the increase in intensity made Jim wail, helpless and so close to pain. Only vaguely, he was aware of Gabriel’s other hand sliding between his thighs, cool and slick with additional lube as he traced the line where they were joined, making the slide a little easier with a couple of deeper thrusts that knocked the air from Jim’s lungs.

 

“Breathe,” Gabriel reminded him, so Jim did although every breath came as a shuddering moan. His whole body was shaking and he couldn’t stop, on the verge of begging for something, anything more that would allow him to come, to release the still-building pressure beyond what he thought he could tolerate.

 

Then Gabriel pressed hard on the space behind his balls and he screamed as the wave crashed and broke, his whole body tense and yet relaxing, cock pulsing not hard but deep, great rolling arcs of come painting his stomach, his chest, the hand Gabriel still had on his abs keeping him steady while the other milked him from the inside and out, on and on, again and again. Only when he was struggling to breathe through it did Gabriel ease up slowly, solid pressure becoming soft caresses, his lips on Jim’s throat in between only vaguely meaningful words that still soothed and reassured. 

 

He felt exhausted, allowed Gabriel to move him although he whimpered when he pulled his still-hard cock gently from Jim’s hole, leaving him open and wanting, bereft somehow. He subsided with soft kisses to his lips and along his jaw, the soft spot behind his ear that Gabriel just touched with his teeth and lathed with his tongue. The come was wiped from his stomach, his ribs, his hips where it had dripped down and, especially lovingly, from the underside of his oversensitive cock and down below his balls. He didn’t have the energy to feel uncomfortably sticky, only enough to know he wanted warmth and solidity from somewhere because he didn’t seem to have any of his own left.

 

And, to his surprise, when he reached out, Gabriel drew him without hesitation into his arms, got them both settled underneath the blankets, Jim’s head against his chest to hear the regular beat of his heart.

 

 

 

 

When he woke up -shit, he hadn’t meant to fall asleep- he was still half-sprawled across Gabriel’s chest. There was a hand tangled in his hair, pulling gently although Gabriel’s eyes were on the phone in his other hand as he read through official-looking emails. He set it down when he noticed Jim stirring, pressed a soft kiss to his forehead Jim sort of felt like he should have wanted to object to.

 

“Welcome back. Guess I wore you out.” There was no censure in Gabriel’s tone or expression and Jim tried his best to trust the feeling that, somehow, he had done everything he was supposed to.

 

“Thank you,” he said, because he still felt satisfied and a little drained, but the memories were slowly filtering back in and he was conscious of feeling like he owed a favor, having been so willing to accept the pleasure he had been generously gifted. Even if Gabriel did seem softer, somehow, still close enough for Jim to see the pulse in his neck.

 

“It wasn’t exactly a selfless act. Getting to see you like that- knowing I’m the first. It was amazing. So thank you, for trusting me.”

 

Jim didn’t know how to feel about that, settled for taking him at his word for the moment because he didn’t have the spare energy to second-guess. He still felt a little fuzzy, slow and relaxed.

 

“It’s a shame you can’t keep me,” he mused before his brain could tell him not to, although it just made Gabriel look a little rueful.

 

“Yeah, it is.”

 

Jim felt unspeakably reassured by the sentiment that so clearly agreed with his own, the confirmation that what they shared was amazing but couldn’t be allowed to continue. It freed him from expectations, kept his mind quiet as he explored Gabriel’s chest with one hand. He hadn’t been allowed to touch at length before, but he wanted to remember all he could.

 

“You’re so fucking hot,” he breathed without thinking as he managed to convince sore, shaky limbs to prop him up, clambering over Gabriel to trace the lines of his chest with his lips in a series of lingering kisses around his pectorals, down his sternum, across his ribs, the skin warm and soft. He had thought Gabriel would stop him, itching to be in control again, but he was apparently quite happy to lay back and bask in the attention, still idly carding his fingers through Jim’s hair.

 

“Got nothing on you, gorgeous boy.”

 

Jim kissed him instead of responding to the frankly outrageous compliment, long and languid, was welcomed readily although maneuvered onto his side and then his back, Gabriel on top of him once his arms began to tremble with the effort of holding himself up. It left him with both hands free to explore the planes of Gabriel’s back, only half his attention on the slide of their mouths, the rest on memorizing details he wanted so badly to recall in the years that followed.

 

Impossibly, he was hard again, although with nothing like the fervent urgency of before, his cock caressed lightly between their stomachs. He felt a sharp thrill when he noticed that Gabriel was, too, and after all his effort earlier couldn’t resist reaching a hand down to feel, only to have his wrist caught and held. He made a disappointed sound and squirmed, trying to bump his cock up against its mate.

 

“Just letting you know that I was using one of those orgasm delaying condoms with the numbing agent inside. So if your skin tingles, that’s why.”

 

Jim just stared at him for a moment. “You did that for me?”

 

“I did it so I could see you fall apart, so matter how long it took. Not just for you.”

 

“But I got to reap the benefits.”

 

“You underestimate the joys of pleasing a partner. Don’t think I’ll ever forget those helpless little noises you made.” Gabriel nuzzled into the side of Jim’s throat, urging him to tilt his head so he could press his open mouth to the skin and suck lightly, just briefly. “That moment when you were right on the edge, clenching tight around me, and then coming like you never had for anyone before. That’s a benefit for me.”

 

“You like the power.”

 

Gabriel pulled back to smile, showing his teeth, his gaze intense. “I love the power.” His voice was low, almost a growl, and Jim bucked his hips helplessly at the sound of it. “Oh, the things I’d do to you given half the chance.”

 

Jim whined, suddenly wanting all of those things more than he wanted to touch, bringing his arms up to cross his wrists above his head. “You can do whatever you want to me.”

 

Gabriel’s rumbling laugh made his cock twitch, his heart pound and a shiver run down his spine. “I know.”

 

He held Jim’s wrists with one strong hand while the other uncapped a bottle of lube, pouring it generously over both of their hard, straining cocks before squeezing them both together and stroking. Jim whimpered and arched and squirmed beneath him .just to feel the way they slid together, craving all of the skin contact he could get but allowing Gabriel to set the pace, trusting him to make him and to let him come, submitting under his slow and gentle ministrations with half his mind on the pain in his wrists where he was twisting intentionally so the bones rubbed together. Gabriel kissed him, but only vaguely and briefly if repeatedly, mostly watching him, gaze flitting between the pulse in Jim’s throat, the way the head of his cock slid through his slick fingers, Jim’s open mouth as he panted.

 

“You want more?”

 

Jim struggled to find his mind, to focus enough to answer the question. He knew he had to, knew Gabriel would stop otherwise. “I want whatever you’ll give me.”

 

“Hmm, good answer.” Gabriel buried his face in Jim’s neck to mumble approvingly, to make Jim shiver with the warmth of his breath and the heat of his tone. “But I want to fuck you for hours more until you’re begging and screaming and crying with it. I want to take you to the edge and keep you there until you’d do anything for me.”

 

“You- you can. I’m not that sore. I like the pain. You’ll hurt me and I’ll love it. Fuck me just like this. Please, Gabriel.”

 

Gabriel watched him, assessing as he released Jim's cock, lips twitching up at the disappointed sound Jim made, bringing slick fingers down and back to probe gently. Jim shuddered and groaned, pressing down as much as he could manage with his wrists held. He was a little sore but it only took him a moment to sink into the pain, to welcome it. It wasn’t that bad anyway, fresh lube cooling and soothing as Gabriel just stroked at his rim, testing the resistance and checking for any damage.

 

Jim was used to being in control, should have felt uncomfortable with the dynamic they had established, but nothing was happening that he didn’t want and it was a relief to just be able to relax and let the pleasure wash over him. With a long exhalation he released all of his tension, bearing down and going lax in Gabriel’s hold.

 

“Legs apart.”

 

“Yes,” Jim breathed, managing a lazy, triumphant smile that Gabriel returned. Their gazes locked, Jim aware he was being monitored for any sign of pain or resistance and unable to help the way his cheeks heated at the scrutiny. He wasn’t used to being- considered. Usually he and whichever partner he had that night would just take what they wanted as quickly as possible. He didn’t want to go back to that, to leave behind the understanding that they were both giving, that they could have what they wanted if only they could trust, first.

 

When Gabriel pressed a finger inside of Jim, he whimpered and shuddered and took it, only pleading with his eyes for more. Gabriel stroked his insides slowly and gently, still watching him closely but Jim couldn’t think, couldn’t consider any feeling but the pleasure, the undercurrent of arousal. He was stretched, felt his eyes flutter closed as he rode the wave, unable to contemplate moving, instead submitting to Gabriel’s will. Gabriel touched his prostate, abused and oversensitive as it was, and Jim yelped at the sparks of sensation, had to breathe for a moment before he could relax again.

 

“Good. Lay back, I’m going to take care of you.”

 

Jim’s breath caught and Gabriel kissed him before he could object, wet and warm and stealing his air, a sort caress of lips and tongue so close to genuine affection that Jim couldn’t resist. He whined when Gabriel drew back, panted when one finger was replaced with two. It burned a little, not really pain just sensation and warmth that washed over his mind and kept it blissfully quiet.

 

“Does that hurt?”

 

Fuck, question. Answer. “No. Feels good, don’t stop.”

 

“Think you can take my cock?”

 

Jim let out a soft sound of distress at the thought of being stretched open and filled. “Yes. Please.”

 

“Hmm. I think you need to wait just a little longer before you’re ready.”

 

“But-“

 

Gabriel’s grip tightened on Jim’s wrists and he hissed with the flash of pain, arching up.

 

“You’ll do as I say.”

 

Jim gasped, sagged, nodded, wailed low as three fingers began to slide inside of him, so much wider at the knuckles and Gabriel’s hands not small. It was getting easier to relax, though, to just lay there and let Gabriel do as he would, especially with that voice murmuring in his ear in between kisses pressed to his throat and along his jaw. He tilted his head away to allow better access, shivered as Gabriel traced his jugular with his tongue before sucking at the lobe of his ear. And still, those fingers stretched him out, gentle but inexorable until Jim was gasping with the effort of remaining still. Gabriel was propped up on an elbow above him, the muscles of his shoulders standing out. Occasionally, the hot hardness of his cock just brushed Jim’s, making him crave anything beyond that feather-light touch. 

 

Gabriel pulled his fingers out and he made a soothing sound as Jim’s expression creased in distress, suddenly bereft as he did his best to clench around nothing-

 

“You’re doing so good. Just a little longer, a little more. Going to get you so wet and open I’ll slide right in.” Gabriel got the bottle of lube, then, pressing it to Jim’s hole and squeezing so it spilled inside of him, a cruel facsimile of come painting his insides. It was wet and warm and leaking out of him. Jim could feel it, could only imagine how he looked, his twitching hole clutching lightly at Gabriel’s slow, gentle fingers.

 

Jim whined some approximation of Gabriel’s name when those fingers left him, was hushed distractedly, his wrists released, too, as Gabriel fumbled with a condom, his perfect, thick cock flushed dark with need, with how long he’d had to wait. Jim’s hips shifted without his conscious input, and he received a warning glance in response. He didn’t move otherwise, happy to remain with his legs splayed and his wrists crossed above his head to appreciate the view and heighten the anticipation of what he knew was coming.

 

A heartfelt groan escaped him when Gabriel’s cock just pressed at his entrance, the stretch so completely different from the fingers, like it was splitting him open despite the careful preparation. Through it all, Gabriel was gentle, pushing in a little at a time, allowing him to get used to the intrusion. It had to be agony for him, resisting the urge to just bury deep, but he tested the resistance, pulling back when Jim was deemed too tight, too pained, his eyes fixed on the way Jim’s ass was stretching around him, left gaping open for just a moment when he retreated.

 

Jim shivered at the tendrils of shame that threatened to take hold, that urged him to shy away and protect himself. He could feel his cheeks heating, the beginnings of the tension he’d thought he’d let go of.

 

Gabriel ran warm, slightly damp palms up his thighs, spreading him still wider. “Wish you could see yourself. Like a dream, you spread out beneath me. You look so gorgeous and you feel-“ he pressed his cock in again, made Jim keen with how easily his walls parted around it, accepting him- “fuck, yes, that’s it. So good.”

 

He drove in deep, and slow, and Jim’s fingers twitched at the effort of staying still, drawing Gabriel’s gaze upwards for a moment and making him smile.

 

“So well behaved for me, staying exactly where I put you. You’re taking me so well, like you were made to be fucked. You love it, don’t you?”

 

The warning squeeze of his wrists once he leaned forwards over Jim, the new angle pushing him deeper and harder, told him it wasn’t a rhetorical question. Jim struggled to find the words, his awareness narrowing to the point where they were connected, the relentless slide into his abused hole and across his sensitive prostate driving him higher, the thought of his confession even more so.

 

“I love it. Wanted you to fuck me from the moment I saw you. Hold me down and make me take it, please.”

 

“The wild contradiction of those statements aside-” Gabriel leaned down to capture Jim’s bottom lip between his teeth and suck, at the same time his free hand squeezed at Jim’s painfully hard cock, making him moan and shudder- “I’m going to use you until I come, and you’re going to lay back and let me.”

 

Where he had been working Jim open with steady rolls of his hips before, Gabriel began to really, truly fuck him in earnest then, driving deep so his balls slapped against Jim’s skin with every thrust. He was still holding Jim’s wrists, so the only movement he made was when Gabriel’s hips met his ass, and he was shoved briefly upwards, his cock sliding through Gabriel’s tight grip. He was not going to last long, every part of the situation perfect, the edge of pain, the constant sensation, the helplessness that meant his mind could finally just slow down and sink into what was happening.

 

Jim couldn’t have imagined a better scenario, would be thinking about this one for years to come, and as much as he wanted to drag it out, Gabriel was clearly not in the mood to wait, brutally shoving him towards the edge with eyes on him the entire time so when Jim was flung violently into coming it was with a sob and a flush across his cheeks. His whole body tensed, his ass clenching around Gabriel’s cock and making him groan, and he couldn’t help but dig his fingernails into the hand around his wrist, forcing Gabriel’s grip tighter before he released him.

 

Hands were on Jim’s hips, then, pulling him down into every moment of the pounding he was taking, and Jim had come so many damn times he had almost lost count, let his fingers stray to the mess painted across his stomach, trailing through it before sucking them clean. The sight made Gabriel groan, hunching over him so their foreheads almost touched. Jim brushed fingers smeared with his own come over Gabriel’s jaw and then licked and sucked it off again, not bothering to hold back the panting moans that were forced from his chest when he was taken, more brutally, a final few times before Gabriel was burying deep and coming with a growl.

 

While he shuddered and trembled, breathing heavily, Jim painted patterns on his neck and throat, licking them off again and savoring the pleased rumble he received as acknowledgment. He repeated the process until he had run out, then just pressed kisses to soft skin until Gabriel rolled off him with a groan, flopping down on his back once he’d tied off the condom and flung it aside, and eyeing Jim sidelong. Jim licked his lips unrepentantly, lifted his hips so he could look down the length of his own body and see any spots he’d missed.

 

“Did I hurt you?”

 

Jim hadn’t been expecting the question, clenched his ass experimentally and grimaced at the wet and sticky sensation of too much lube trickling free. “No.” As an afterthought, he examined his wrists as well, found no bruises, although he lowered his arms to get the blood flowing a little better. “Good as new.”

 

He saw Gabriel relax visibly with the news, his eyelids already drooping, expression satisfied. He really was an attractive man, strangely caring compulsions and all. Jim took advantage of his state to look his fill, Gabriel watching him lazily all the while. He still didn’t seem to be on the verge of kicking Jim out so he moved closer, reached out and began to trace the lines of muscles with a finger. He smoothed his palms over pectorals, teased gently at dusky nipples until they hardened, Gabriel’s breath coming a little faster.

 

“Please tell me you can’t go again.”

 

“Can I jerk off on your chest?”

 

“Can you do it while I sleep?”

 

“Do you really want an answer to that?”

 

Gabriel snorted. “Come here. Let me hold you -without mocking- and get a little sleep. Then you can give me a show.”

 

Jim couldn’t believe he was being bribed into cuddling. His life was so fucking strange. “Deal.”

 

Wholly unfamiliar with the idea in practice, although of course he knew the key concepts, Jim let Gabriel tuck him against his side with one arm slung across that strong chest, their legs entangled. He hadn’t actually thought he was sleep, but the warmth and comfort proved too much of a lure and his eyes fluttered shut. Just before he did, he thought he felt the ghost of a kiss pressed to his hair.

 

 

 

 

He woke up half-hard more with a need to use to the bathroom than anything, initially disoriented to find himself still wrapped around a warm, solid body in a gloriously soft bed. Gabriel grumbled as Jim disentangled himself so he leaned over to squeeze a thigh and brush his turgid cock, grinning when pale blue eyes slitted open to glare at him.

 

“Haven’t forgotten your promise.” Jim winked at him before ducking out to the bathroom to relieve himself -with some difficulty- and brush his teeth, because he wanted no reason to decline kisses should they be offered. He was actually a little sad, thinking about how their very, very long night seemed to be coming to an end, had to remember that it had been a break from reality rather than having a chance to become the norm. He guessed he would have got bored with it anyway, as much as the novelty excited him at that moment.

 

Gabriel was dozing where Jim had left him, so Jim straddled him, saw him smile before he opened his eyes. He shifted and settled where Gabriel’s cock, if and when it got hard, would press between his ass cheeks, a tease and a hint of the sensation he still craved, even though he knew by that stage any attempt would be agonizingly painful.

 

“You’re insatiable,” Gabriel grumbled, sleep-rough and warm, lazily lifting hands to spread them over the curve where Jim’s thighs met his ass, bracketing him without taking any of the control. He seemed quite happy to watch, and Jim was more than ready to give him the promised show, cock plumping steadily under that heated gaze. Honestly, if he stayed, neither of them would ever get anything done. Jim let his head tip back and he grinned when he wrapped a hand around his own cock, dry but all he needed for the moment. It felt strangely comforting, like coming home. Straightforward and boring, maybe, if he were to do it all the time, but an experience to be savored in that moment. There was no communication, no need to express what he wanted, nothing but touches he knew would bring him closer to climax, Gabriel’s contributions very pleasant but ultimately unnecessary.

 

And, okay, it was pretty hot having eyes on him too, darkened and hungry as they were. Jim stroked himself to full hardness with a coy smile and fluttering lashes, felt the telltale hardness of Gabriel’s matching erection against his crease, lifted up and over it so it could spring up against Gabriel’s taut stomach. Gabriel didn’t move to touch it, seemed satisfied with just watching, still stroking Jim’s thighs, gaze on his expression, his eyes and his lips as he bit the bottom one; the tension in his abdomen and muscles in his chest as it rose and fell with his quickening breaths; the slide of Jim’s cock through his own fist.

 

Jim loved that sight himself, the head just peeking out from between his fingers at the apex of each stroke, unapologetically erotic with his slit beginning to ooze pearly liquid to slick the way. It wasn’t enough, so he fumbled for the lube and coated his hand before picking up a faster rhythm. He wasn’t rushing for the finish line but he saw no reason to drag it out.

 

He stroked, and Gabriel watched, petting him gently but not without purpose, everything just that little bit more than it would have been on his own. Jim shivered, twitched to press himself further, faster into his hand, getting closer, strong hands on his shoulder and hip, guiding him to lean forwards, shuffle up a bit so he was over Gabriel’s stomach. He put his free hand down on the pillow next to Gabriel’s head, changing the angle, giving himself more room to move, shoving into his fists with sinuous rolls of his hips while covetous palms smoothed over his ass.

 

“So fucking gorgeous.”

 

Jim had been transfixed by the play of muscles in chest and shoulders, but the words made him meet darkened eyes. He felt warm, was sure his cheeks were flushed from the exertion and the situation, could feel the dampness of sweat at his hairline. When fingers gently teased closer to his raw and abused and -fuck!- sensitive opening he whined and was hushed, shuddered when the swollen skin was carefully tested, flinched just a little when another hand rose to cup his face. Somehow, both kept his arousal rising and although he couldn't press against them both simultaneously, he tried anyway. He met those eyes and locked on, unwilling to turn away from the heat he saw there even as he rolled his hips back, seeking a little more.

 

Gabriel's expression creased, reluctantly concerned, and fuck, Jim was so close he couldn't do anything but plead, probably meaninglessly, for just a little, for one finger just inside, he was still relaxed and slick, please, Gabriel.

 

It was his broken little cry of that name that did it, he thought, that earned him the slim, cautious push inside that sent sparks directly to his cock, made him clench and shudder and pulse with involuntary sounds of nothing like distress because it hurt, he was raw and exposed, but there were eyes on his reflecting lust and gratitude and helpless affection. Jim wanted to sob, so he pushed his cheek into the hand on it and began to laugh, breathlessly.

 

"Fuck, that hurts," he panted, smiling as Gabriel slowly, agonizingly pulled his finger free to run a soft, warm palm up and down the outside of Jim's thigh. He didn't feel like he could move, knew he didn't want to when he finally glanced down to see and remember why he had done it, strings of his come painted over Gabriel's stomach and chest, dampening hair and dripping off steadily rising and falling pectorals. "You look so damn good."

 

Gabriel's answer was a rueful look down. "I feel disgusting."

 

"You look dirty and degraded and claimed." Jim leaned down, eyes open, to initiate a kiss, was allowed to trace his tongue along Gabriel's bottom lip. "It suits you." When Gabriel attempted to respond, he dove in again, took advantage of parted lips to delve inside. Gabriel bit his tongue, just lightly, and Jim snickered. "Don't talk. I'm savoring."

 

Rather gratifyingly, Gabriel opened his mouth to respond, saw Jim's widened eyes of warning, then stopped, preening a little as he raised his arms above his head and relaxed.

 

"That's the picture I want on my wall," Jim murmured as he sat back to enjoy, his hands splayed across Gabriel's stomach. Most of his come had landed higher than that, bar a few drops he framed with the span of his fingers. He wanted to impress that image in his memory forever. "So fucking hot."

 

The come that had spilled across his hand, though, was getting cooler and stickier, and they would soon be very uncomfortable. Not without a strange wrenching sensation somewhere above his stomach, Jim met Gabriel's eyes again with a soft smile. "Shower?"

 

Gabriel just raised his eyebrows, so Jim sighed. "You may speak."

 

"Thank you, sir." In one swift movement, Gabriel sat up and was kissing him, strong hands cradling the back of his neck, Jim's mess smearing between the crush of their chests as their mouths slid together, frantic and desperate like they hadn't been since the evening began. In between deep, slick kisses, Gabriel managed to growl. "Let's get you clean, dirty boy."

 

Similarly, Jim's response was fractured by fervent, wet sounds. "I resent the implication that I'm the more depraved one here."

 

"You told me how dirty you were before you'd even taken your pants off."

 

"You made me clean up two-week old garbage with my bare hands. That was entirely true."

 

At that point, Gabriel was laughing too much for them to continue. "Mostly I just wanted to see what you'd do. The results sort of suggest it was a good idea."

 

"That's me, justifying poor decisions for eighteen years now."

 

"Your legacy will live on. Don't think I'll ever forget- this."

 

They kissed again, slower but without words, and Jim clambered off the bed drawing Gabriel along with him, sticky come-smeared hand wrapped around his wrist. They were about to shower, anyway. Finally, they got to do it together, both under the warm spray, more petting than cleaning actually occurring but the results the same in the end.

 

 

 

 

 

Gabriel did actually cook him dinner, too. While Jim had been making the most of the wonderful, hot shower, he had slipped from the room and started clattering around in the kitchen. When Jim joined him, he was wearing jeans and a worn T-shirt. Jim's clothes, freshly washed and dried, were thrown over the back of a chair. Jim couldn't help but see that for what it was, the beginning of the end, a precursor to his leaving. It was nice. Usually he was just told unceremoniously to go.

 

He pulled on his jeans, crisp and chafing where he was most sensitive.

 

"How do you have your steak?"

 

"Uhh-" Jim had to think for a moment. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been able to afford steak. "Medium rare."

 

"Heathen," Gabriel muttered, apparently good-naturedly, turning back to the counter where he began to unwrap the paper from around two thick, juicy steaks. Up until that moment, Jim had sort of thought it had been a theoretical question.

 

"You're really making me dinner?"

 

Gabriel shrugged, meeting Jim's gaze over his shoulder. He looked a little sheepish but mostly smug. "I helped you burn the calories. Only fair I give them back."

 

"So you do this for all the teenage boys you bring home?"

 

"Well, technically yes. Given that the last time I fucked a teenager I was one myself."

 

Jim might have preened a little at that. He still hadn't got around to putting his shirt on. "Well, don't I feel special?"

 

"Contrary to your strange and twisted beliefs, I am actually not drowning in offers. And- teenagers are messy. More trouble than they're worth, usually."

 

"I'm all sorts of trouble," Jim couldn't resist pointing out, with a provocative lick of his lips that Gabriel watched interestedly.

 

"Oh, you're worth it."

 

Well, that had backfired spectacularly. Jim froze, arms tangled in the shirt he had been about to pull over his head, staring at nothing while Gabriel worked the stove. He had no idea if his heart had stopped or was beating out of his chest. It was all he could do to breathe without sobbing, as he contemplated the closest thing to a compliment he'd heard in some time. Oblivious to his reaction, Gabriel was preparing broccolini.

 

Gradually, Jim managed to pretend to be normal again, pulling his shirt on and suddenly feeling every hour of sleep he'd missed over the past week. He felt weary, right down to his core, acutely aware that he was too young to be feeling that way. Sometimes he forgot that, usually kept himself too busy to think about it.

 

"Have a beer if you want one."

 

Yeah, Jim had just been standing in the middle of the kitchen for too long. He crossed to the unnecessarily enormous fridge and opened the door, vaguely cataloguing the contents. "You want one?" he managed to ask, tone reasonably level. No hint that the foundations of his world had been shaken apart by a throwaway comment from a one-night-stand that, while admittedly intense, would soon be just a pleasant memory.

 

"Yeah. Thanks."

 

Even that basic courtesy seemed alien, suddenly. The smiles he earned from people when he'd brought them drinks previously suddenly stood in stark contrast. What the hell was wrong with him?

 

"Take a bottle of water, too, if you want."

 

Well, he was thirsty. "Thanks."

 

He delivered one bottle to the counter within Gabriel's reach and sat at the table, watched Gabriel squeeze lemons and butter-baste, unfamiliarly domestic. Feeling a little awkward, he had finished the bottle of water without even really thinking about it and started on the beer. Gabriel seemed unbothered by the scrutiny, his movements efficient and practical. He wasn't trying to impress Jim but that just made him more appealing. He met Jim's eyes in the reflection off his cooker hood, once, and winked. Jim raised his bottle in a toast, didn't trust himself to speak without all sorts of inappropriate feelings leaking out. Instead he sat, and sipped, and watched, warm and comfortable and satisfied, and tried to make sure he could remember how that felt. It might sustain him through a cold and lonely night, sometime.

 

Food was abruptly shoved in front of him, steak and broccolini and mashed potatoes that all looked impossibly delicious. Gabriel had been right about burning calories. He was starving, although he did his best to remember what little he had been taught about table manners and did his best not to stuff his face.

 

When he tried the steak, he couldn't help groaning in appreciation, and Gabriel rolled his eyes with the faintest hint of a smile.

 

"Is this what love feels like?" Jim asked then, to make him laugh.

 

"A good steak does come pretty close."

 

"You are just determined to ruin me for everybody else, aren't you?"

 

"What, the boys your age don't cook for you?"

 

"I think one of them bought me a bag of chips from a vending machine once."

 

"Christ." For a moment, Gabriel looked as though he was going to say something, but he held back.

 

"Thanks," Jim said, then shrugged at the arched brow he received in response. "For not telling me how to live my life."

 

"Would it do anything but alienate you if I did? We've had a good time. None of my business what you do. Long as none of it's going to bring the cops to my door."

 

"It won't. I'm not in trouble like that- _fuck_."

 

Gabriel snorted when Jim cringed at his slip. "Doesn't take a genius to see you're in trouble. I- hope you don't get yourself hurt. You seem decent. But you don't need saving. And I'm the last person you should be coming to if you did."

 

"Well- not the last person. I mean, that shower's got to count for something."

 

Gabriel rolled his eyes.

 

They ate in a comfortable silence for a while longer, before Jim mused, "I'd love to let you save me. Hang around here, cooking and cleaning, waiting for you to come home and take me to bed. Working a steady job. But I'm not built that way. I need to keep moving. I get bored and then I get destructive."

 

"I wouldn't want to be coming home to chewed furniture and torn up carpets." Gabriel sighed. "And I'd love to come home and find you ready and waiting in my bed, catering to my every depraved whim." He frowned, then. "There's no 'but'. I would genuinely like that."

 

"Well, if none of my other plans work out I'll be sure to call you." Jim grinned, both of them fully aware that they had no intention of exchanging numbers. As much as they might want to dream, neither of them was so unrealistic to believe that they could make something out of latent sexual chemistry alone. Not with the differences between them.

 

Jim did his best to keep that at the front of his mind as they ate, as Gabriel took his plate and then set a bowl of ice cream in front of him. It wouldn't do him any favors in the long run to get too comfortable.

 

The biggest wrench came at the front door, when his heart squeezed painfully, the irrational feeling of missing something he never really had. His hand shook as he reached for the latch, and he cursed his weakness before Gabriel's hand covered his, the other on his hip, pushing him until his back hit the still-closed door and kissing him. Jim tasted creamy, bitter chocolate, held on until the mouth against his was no longer cold, and then a little longer.

 

It was a good goodbye, and he left breathless and grinning, walked to the end of the drive and looked both ways down the street before choosing a direction at random. He waved, as he turned. Gabriel, in the doorway, arms folded, watching him, nodded back with an unreadable smile on his face. With a last lingering glance, Jim walked away. He didn’t look back.

**Author's Note:**

> Good thing I’m so subtle about that thing I have for Gabriel Lorca.
> 
> Yep, definitely got away with that one.


End file.
